Mega-Yacht Sails into York

A 142-foot mega-yacht sailed into the York River before landing at York River Yacht Haven. It trailed a substantial tender with three outboard engines. Out in the middle of the river, the yacht stopped to reel in the boat hawser so a driver could get aboard.

He proceeded ahead of the yacht, criss crossing the channel entrance to Sarah Creek to test to depth for the yacht. It was nearly high tide, providing around 13 feet of water. Once the yacht docked, the tender drove into a garage on the back of the yacht. Everyone was dazzled.

The Frechette family of South Paris, Maine, got to observe all of this on a warm and breezy day. “Everywhere we go, the weather is setting heat records,” Cathy said. The day before, Williamsburg set a record at 94.

They are more familiar with cold weather. Cathy’s husband Gary said, “Last Sunday it snowed a foot at Mt. Washington. It’s still cold up there.” He copes with a snow blower. “We had a 20-inch snow this winter, and then got 20 more inches when the snowplow drove past the end of my driveway. That’s okay. I like the snow. We like the four seasons.”

What he doesn’t like is earthquakes. “I was sitting at my desk working when a 5.0 quake hit Maine. It felt like I was sitting on water, rocking back and forth.”

Weather permitting, they’re more into hiking. Cathy said, “Gary and I went out to Nevada earlier this year. We hiked in the Grand Canyon, Brice Canyon, and more. In Maine, we’ve hiked Old Spec, which is 4,000 feet high. It’s hard because the incline seems straight up. I can hike about 10 miles a day, but that’s my limit. Gary can go 14 easily.”

She added, “We’ve hiked the end of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. We’ve been to Georgia for the beginning of the trail in the South.” I suggested it’s not like walking a shopping mall. “No, it’s over rocks and roots and uphill and downhill. It’s hard work.”

Their daughter Jeanea said, “I couldn’t hike that much. My legs would give out and I’d get exhausted. It’s just too much.” Jeanea is 11.

World Travelers

In the afternoon, a married couple from Georgia celebrated their 20^th anniversary cruising in winds of 15 mph as the warm breeze blew. Samantha and Adam Nash are into kayaking. She said, “We like going down the Chattahoochee River, which empties into Lake Lanier.”

“The first time I tried kayaking,” Adam said, “my friend took us down a river in Mexico called the Cascades de Micos that had a waterfall. It turned out to be a 12-foot drop, and all I had was a sit-upon kayak. He said to just keep paddling as we went over, so I did. We made it. They were Class 4 rapids.”

Sam and Adam work for Battlefield Ministries. “Adam is a life coach. We go out in the field to counsel missionaries to make sure they’re doing well. It’s hard work for them, away from home and on their own. Churches have a lot invested in their people and they want to retain them. Our work is confidential, so they can confide in us.”

They’ve traveled in Thailand, Vietnam, Morocco, China and beyond. Sam said, “We were in Malaysia six months before that plane disappeared. We were in Turkey when the Russians shot down a plane there.”

Let’s Go Sail

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